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14 Oct 2012

Michael Cristofer

Photo by Joan Marcus

The world premiere of Stephen Belber's Don't Go Gentle, about a retired conservative judge who struggles to maintain order in his personal life, opens Off-Broadway Oct. 14 at MCC Theater's downtown home, the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

Lucie Tiberghien stages the premiere, which launched MCC Theater's 2012-13 season Sept. 27. It will run through Nov. 4. Belber's plays include The Power of Duff, Tape, Match, Dusk Rings a Bell and Fault Lines.

The cast features Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright-actor Michael Cristofer ("Smash," The Shadow Box, A View from the Bridge), David Wilson Barnes (The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Becky Shaw), Maxx Brawer, Angela Lewis (Rapture, Blister, Burn) and Jennifer Mudge (The Philanthropist)

According to MCC, Don't Go Gentle "follows Judge Lawrence Driver: conservative powerhouse on the bench, failure at home. Now retired, widowed, and seeking redemption, Lawrence volunteers to do pro bono legal work with Tanya, a vulnerable ex-con with a troubled teenage son, while working to repair the increasingly complicated relationships with his own adult children. But do-overs don’t come easy, and when his newfound generosity is perceived as condescension, Lawrence runs the risk of losing everything."

Belber is a MCC Theater Playwrights Coalition member.

Scenic design for Don’t Go Gentle is by Robin Vest, costume design is by Jenny Mannis, lighting design is by Matthew Richards, and sound design and original compositions are by Fabian Obispo.

Visit mcctheater.org. The Lucille Lortel Theatre is located at 121 Christopher Street.